10. Xavier Musketeers (26-9; 14-2)- Xavier played extremely well in an improved Atlantic 10 Conference. They were joined by Richmond and Temple in the Big Dance while Dayton won the NIT and Rhode Island advanced far. Saint Louis and Charlotte also had strong seasons. What really made this Xavier season impressive, though, was the turmoil we expected. Their star guard was viewed as selfish and uncoachable and Sean Miller, the young coach signed to a long term deal left for the Pac 10.
However, new head coach and former assistant, Chris Mack convinced this team to buy into his concept. Crawford played within the system and the result was a repeat run to the Sweet 16. Certainly, post season success is nothing new but considering the expectations going into this year, I see it as a great success. I even gave them the slight edge to Kansas State despite losing in double-OT to the Wildcats in one of the best tournament games in recent memory. K-State got the bump due to their Final Four aspirations.
9. Ohio State Buckeyes (29-8; 14-4)- A quality team became a great team after a late-January loss to West Virginia. They went on a rampage, winning 14 of their next 15, including a sweep of the Big 10 tournament with their lone loss coming in a tight game against top-10 Purdue. They carried that success into the tournament, winning another 2 games en route to a hard-fought 3 point loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16. 16 of 18 in the toughest stretch of the year? That's a quality season.
Throw in the fact the Evan Turner collected nearly every single piece of hardware despite breaking two bones in his back and Ohio State was clearly a Top 10 Achiever.
8. New Mexico Lobos (30-5; 14-2)- Unfortunately, they will most be remembered for beat down in the second round of the tourney at the hands of Washington (a team that peaked at exactly the right time) but this season was so much more for the Lobos. The Pit was restored to its true status as they won their first conference championship since '94 and there first 30 win season ever. Steve Alford has reestablished the program and is signed on to a new contract. It was a great year for New Mexico.
7. Pitt Panthers (25-9; 13-5)- The only team on my Top 10 that didn't make the Sweet 16 but I give this team tons of credit considering what they lost coming into the year. They lost Sam Young and DeJuan Blair to the NBA, their heart-and-soul leader LeVance Fields, and seniors Tyrell Biggs and Sean Brown. They were projected to finish 9th in the Big East and yet they battled the entire year among the top of the league and finished 13-5. They were the only team to beat all of the top 6 Big East teams. Jaime Dixon is just an incredible coach and he will be making life hard for Big East foes for years to come.
I can give almost equal amounts of credit to Buzz Williams and his Marquette team that played its way into the NCAAs as a 6 seed despite graduating their top 3. They did get knocked out by a peaking Washington team in the first round, however.
6. Cornell Big Red (29-5; 13-1)- This was the year for the Big Red to put it all together. With a senior dominated line up, one of the best perimeter attacks in the nation and a coach in Steve Donahue who was ripe to be plucked up to the next level, they won the Ivy league and advanced to the school's first Sweet 16. Seniors Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote, Alex Tyler, Jon Jaques and Geoff Reeves comprised a stellar senior class led by Wittman, Ivy League Player of the Year and big gun in the nation's best three-point offense. With crushing wins over Temple and Wisconsin, Cornell would have been the Bell of the Ball if not for our number 2 team.
5. Tennessee Volunteers (28-9; 11-5)- In early January, this program suffered what easily could have been a season-ending trauma when four of Bruce Pearl's top 8, including senior stand out Tyler Smith were arrested. The undermanned roster responded by suiting up the same week and knocking out Charlotte and slaying then-number-1 Kansas by 8. As the dust settled, the program rallied around adversity, and strung together the first Elite 8 run in school history. Besides Kansas, they beat number one seed Kentucky and knocked off Big Ten champ, Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
After all of the drama, they fell one point shy of the Final Four. It was a quite a year in Knoxville.
4. West Virginia Mountaineers (31-7; 13-5)- The Mountaineers continued to come together as a team as the season progressed. After a hard-fought regular season as usual in the Big East, they came out victorious in the Big East Tournament and earned a 2 seed in the Big Dance.
This was the first year in school history they won 30+ as well as their first Final Four since 1959 when Jerry West was in Morgantown. This team played a rather unorthodox style highlighted by gritty defense, extreme length, streaky shooting and strong offensive rebounding. This method reached its apex in the Regional Final against number 1 seeded Kentucky, where the Mountaineers pressured UK into poor shooting and unforced errors.
It was also the year to see Bob Huggins, local hero, make it to his first Final Four after 3 years as a player and 25 seasons as a coach. West Virginia played inspirational basketball and left us with enduring images through the year, culminating in the sorrowful end to De'Sean Butler's wonderful collegiate career.
3. Michigan State Spartans (28-9; 14-4)- What more can you say about Izzo's teams? Another year, another Final Four. This one may be the most improbable as this team struggled to find an identity all season long. Nevertheless, they found a way to navigate their way through a 5 seed to their sixth final four in 12 seasons. That translates to 55 student-athletes and every single four-year player Tom Izzo has recruited. That is staggering! Also, they did it by a margin of 3.25 points per game in the tournament, the tightest margin since the field expanded in '85.
For such a wacky season, it just seemed right that Michigan State again found a way to make it to the Final Four.
2. Butler Bulldogs (33-5; 18-0)- Not much more to say than what has already been said. It is important to note, however, that this team didn't fit the typical Mid-Major mode. Usually, these teams have many upperclassmen and a few 5th/6th year seniors making their experience their greatest facet. This Bulldog team was way more predicated on team defense and individual offensive skill, making this 2010 conglomerate all the more impressive. Without worrying too much about the future, it is quite amazing to note that this team was one shot away from being one of, if the most recognizable college basketball teams in history. That's something.
1. Duke Blue Devils (35-5; 13-3)- They split the regular season and won the ACC tournament and that would have been impressive enough but this Duke team was just getting started. Unheralded versus many of its predecessors, this team used one of the most basic winning formulas in college basketball history. Keep the ball in the hands of three dominant perimeter scorers, and shuffle two sets of big men for defense and rebounding. That's it. Basically, the Blue Devils played 7 guys, relied on 3 for consistent scoring and let Zoubek/Thomas/Plumlee twins do the dirty work. And it worked... brilliantly!
Honorable Mention:
Kansas State- Martin's squad may have been hurt slightly by the high hopes coming into the season but an Elite 8 finish is nothing to be ashamed of.
Northern Iowa- Gave us one of the most thrilling games of the tournament and played quality ball all year.
Maryland- Beat expectations by tying Duke for the ACC Regular Season title and gave Michigan State a run for their money in the second round.
Syracuse- Expectations were low coming in as the Orange lost a lot of talent but they retooled for a very impressive season culminating in a number one seed. However, the what-if looms large after Onuaku went down at the end of the season.
St. Marys- They graduated their best player to the NBA but returned to beat Gonzaga in the WCC Tourney and make a run to the Sweet 16. Great season!
Baylor- What fun it was to watch this team come together for a deep run in the tourney. Hopefully Udoh returns and they can make another run next year. Oh don't go Udoh!! But can I really blame you? You are ready.
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